Sound-recording apparatus.



J. NULL,

SOUND RECORDING APPARATUS. APPLIOATIOK FILED JUNE 21, 1911.

1,047,976. Patentd Dec. 24, 1912.

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SOUND RECORDING APPARATUS. 7

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1911.

Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

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)U U; 7 7 I I J 7 ,q/ 26 24' WITNESSES I i i K INVENTOR CW Jaw/m1 WM QR?M UNITED STATES PATENT F I E JOHN norm, or new YORK, n. 2.; essxenoa orONE-HALF T0 EUGENE DEL MAR, or

, NEW YORK, n. Y.

SOUND-RECORDIN G APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHNNoLL, a citizen of the United States, residingat New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sound-RecordingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

vThis invention comprises new means for effecting a talking machinerecord of speech or sounds and is particularly adapted to the making ofrecords of telephonically transmitted speech. The term talking machineis used broadly, the particular type illusstretched metal band actuatedtrated herein being that in which the record is made in acircumferential spiral line upon a cylinder, as of wax or otherappropriate material. The organization comprises, among other things, astylus lever operated by vibrations of a medium such' as aelectromagnetically in the case of telephonically transmitted sounds,said stylus lever having 'a floating fulcrum through which an adequategravity stress, capable of adjustment if de sired, may be imposed uponvthe recording stylus bearing upon the record receiving surface.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an end elevation; Fig. 2, aplan View; Fig. 3, a sect-ion on the line 3, 3, of Fig. 2; Fig. 3* is adetail horizontal section taken slightly above thestretched metal bandand through means for holding one end of the same, parts being shown inelevation; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the postwhich engages thefeed-screw; and Fig. 4, a bottom plan view of the recording devlces.

As shown the apparatus comprises an appropriate frame supporting guiderods 1 and parallel therewith'a sleeve 2 within which is mounted torotate a worm 3- Mounted in bearings in the plates of the frame is ashaft 4 on which turns loosely a power driven pulley 5 carrying' onemomber of a clutch 6-the opposite-member 7 of which is splined to theshaft and provided with an ordinary shifting fork 8. The end of theshaft 45 projecting beyond the frame plate 9 carries a cylindricalholder 10 adapted to receive in the usual way the record cylinder 11. Onthe other end of the shaft there is a pinion 12 which,-through gears 13,14, transmits motion to a pinion 15 on Specification of Letters 1atent.

Application filed June 21, 1911.

of the floating lever 27 Serial No; 634,522.

the worm shaft. When the clutch is engaged the worm and record holder 10are simultaneously rotated.

Therecord making part of the apparatus comprises a frame having adependent portion 16 provided with a bracket 17 embracing and runningupon the supporting and gulding rod 1. The upper portion of the frame ishorizontally disposed and comprises an iron plate 18 of adequate mass atthe side ofwhich" is a sleeve 20 that embraces and travels upon thesleeve 2 within which the Patented Dec. 24, 1912. i

worm 3 is disposed. On the under face of the plate 18 are carrieddownwardly projecting cores of tially surrounded by apermanent 20* alsosecured to the under face 18. The function of the permanent is tosaturate the electromagnet which vibrates the stretched metal band. Ifthis permanent magnet were not employed, pulsating current, which iscreated in. the winding of the electromagnet when the circuit is closedby the operation of the transmitter, would not set up a magnetic-fluctu-- ation, but would be diffused in the electromagnet.

of plate magnet] the weak an electromagnet l9, 19,par-

magnet In appropriate-proximity to the poles of the magnet is a softiron armature 21 carried by a stretched 'metal band 22 ofappropriate-material, preferably iron. This band is mounted atone end ina block 23 having a tapped aperture engaged by an adjusting or strainingscrew. Atthe other end of the band is attached a block 24 engagingdownwardly projectingportions 25 of the. frame and having on each sideof the .band 22 knife edges 26 that seat in notches 26 in the, outerface of such portions 25. This affords a convenient con:

struction capable ofready control in the way.

of adjustment and manipulation..- Beneath the band 22 is afloating'lever27 rocking at one end on trunnions' 46 and free at theother. In a slot 28' in this lever is pivoted intermediate its ends at29 the recording stylus lever. :One end of this lever is'connected bya'link' 31 to a centrally-disposed eye pther end is 32 on the band 22,-and in the fixed the recording stylus 30. The free end preferabl hasapplied to it a. weight 33 that may e removable,,if desired, so that thegravity; stress imposedupon the stylus lever through its pivot may bevaried. This weight is shown as a small disk or plate having a studseating in an aperture in the lever near to its free end. The fixedsleeve 2, within which the worm rotates has in its under face alongitudinal slot 34. The sleeve 20 has a diametric slot to receive alever 40 that turns on sleeve 2 and rigidly attached to sleeve 20 is apendant hanger having side arms 36 whose ends are connected by a crossbar 37. This bar is apertured to receive a vertically movable post 38whose upper end is adapted to engage and cooperate with the worm intoengagement with which a spiral spring surrounding the post normallytends to urge it. The upper end of the post is bifurcated so that it mayhave two teeth or ends to engage the worm. At the base of thebifurcation there is an inclined cam face 39 with which cooperates a camface 40' formed upon lever 40 that works between the bifurcations of thepost.

When the lever arm 40 is moved to the position shown inFig. 3, post 38is allowed to rise to bring its ends or teeth into engagement with theworm to cause travel of the frame, that carries the recording mechanism,longitudinally of the axis of the record holder 10. When the lever isthrown to the position indicated in Fig. 1, the cam upon its lower endforces downwardly the post '38 thereby arresting movement of thecarriage; and, at the same time, the cam face of the lever operates upona plate 41 pivoted on the inner side of the cross piece 37 moving itinwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1. Near one end of this plate ispivotally connected a rod 42 surrounded by a coil compression spring 43.This rod passes through an apertured block 44 fixed on the frame andengages an arm 45 extending upwardly from the trunnion shaft 46 to whichlever 27 is secured. In this way, the lever 27, and with it therecording stylus lever, is elevated to inoperative position. It may bereturned to operative position by reaction of the spring 43 when leverarm 40 is moved to the position indicated in Fig. 3. Preferably, a stop47 'on the side of the rocking plate 41 is provided to limit descent ofthe floating lever 27 should the apparatus be started without a recordcylinder in position. A flange 48 on the sleeve 20 is formed withdepressions 49, 49, adapted to be engaged by the rounded end of a springpressed pin 50 projecting laterally from lever arm 40 and acting to holdthat arm in either of its two positions.

With the apparatus in the position indicated in Fig. 3, the weight ofthe floating lever acting through the stylus carrying lever causesdesired pressure of the stylus upon the surface of the record cylinder.The vibrations of the band 22 produce oscillations of the stylus leverabout its axis to produce a record upon the cylinder. Contact of thepoint of thestylus with the surface of the cylinder is re-inforced bythe gravity stress of the floating lever, the action being such as.toproduce substantially uniform pressure or contact even though thesurface of the record cylinder may not be exactly cylindrical, or therecord cylinder is not exactly concentric to the axis about which itrotates. Furthermore, the stylus lever in its oscillations is influencedby the inertia of the floating lever and this I have found also to be afactor aiding in the production of perfect results.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. An electrically operatedsound recording apparatus, comprising a support, an

electromagnet carried thereby, a stretched vibratory metal band adaptedto be vibrated by said electromagnet, a permanent magnet disposed inproximity to said electromagnet, and a stylus adapted to be vibrated bysaid vibratory metal band 2. An electrically operated sound recordingapparatus, comprising a support, an electromagnet carriedthereby, apermanent magnet partially surrounding said electromagnet, a stretchedvibratory metal band adapted to be vibrated by the electromagnet, and astylus adapted to be actuated by the vibration of the vibratory metalband.

3. An electrically operated sound recording apparatus, comprising asupport, an electromagnet carried thereby, an approximately horse-shoeshaped magnet bar partially surrounding said electromagnet, a

stretched metal vibratory band adapted to be vibrated by saidelectromagnet, and a stylus adapted to be actuated by the vibration ofsaid vibratory band.

4. An electrically operated sound recording apparatus, comprising aframe, an electromagnet carried thereby, a permanent magnet partiallysurrounding said electromagnet, a stretched metal band mounted in saidframe in proximity to said electromagnet, means to regulate the tensionof said band, a floating lever having one end pivoted to said frame, astylus lever pivotally mountedupon said floating lever, a stylus at oneend of said lever, and means connecting the other end of said styluslever with the metal band.

5. In a sound recording apparatus,'the combination with a supportingstructure, of a carriage to move longitudinally of the same, a vibratorystretched metal band supported by the carriage, a lever pivotallyconnected with said carriage and provided near its pivot point with anupstanding flange, a recording stylus-lever pivotally connected with thefirst named lever, a worm-shaft to effect the longitudinal movement ofthe carriage, a reciprocatory shaft provided with catory rod to enga ethe ustanding flange of the first named lever, swinging link pivotallyconnected with one end of the .re-

ciprocatory rod to support the same, a com-' pressible coil springsurrounding the reciprocatory rod to move the same in one direction, anda common lever to move the reciprocatory shaft-andthe swinging 6. Incombination, means for supporting and rotating a record cylinder, acarriage traveling in proximity thereto, a permanent magnet supported bythe carriage, anelectromagnet disposed within the permanent magnet, astretched vibratory metal band disposed near the electromagnet to bevibrated thereby, means pivotally connecting one end of said metal bandwith said metal band disposed near the electromagnet to be vibratedthereby, and means including a stylus to be operated by saidmetal band.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.JOHN NOLL. Witnesses:

. EUGENE DEL MAR,

Eow. L. LANGLEY.

